Hydraulic lift for the saw boom of tractor operated saws



0 SAWS R. C. WAY

Nov. 13, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 7, 1955 INVENTOR. 0133.

y 0 w a w 0a Y B NQN mm R p, \Q KN QN wQ mm mm I l T Nov. 13, 1956 R. c.WAY 2,770,256

HYDRAULIC LIFT FOR THE SAW BOOM OF TRACTOR OPERATED SAWS Filed April '7,1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 kvgjimz I Kw 302 F Fig.2

INVENTOR.

BY WM FM Roy 0. Way

INVENTOR.

Nov. 13, 1956 2,770,266

HYDRAULIC LIFT FOR THE SAW BOOM OF TRACTOR OPERATED SAWS C. WAY

Filed April 7, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 13, 1956 R. c. WAY 2,770,266

' HYDRAULIC LIFT FOR THE SAW BOOM OF TRACTOR OPERATED SAWS 116d Apll I,4 shee S-Sheet 4 aaa Fig. 7 3r5 360 386 Roy 6. Way

INVENTOR.

9 BY (W 3 United States Patent HYDRAULIC LIFT FOR THE SAW BOOM OFTRACTOR OPERATED SAWS Roy C. Way, Tennessee, Ill.

Application April 7, 1955, Serial No. 499,933

6 Claims. (Cl. 143-43 My invention relates to improvements in hydrauliclift mechanism for the saw booms of tractor operated saws forming thesubject matter of my U. S. Patent No. 2,575,696, dated November 20,1951.

By way of premise, in the tractor operated saw of my above patent, a sawboom is swingable vertically by an encircling annular carriagevertically movable in an armate guide mounted on the tractor.

The primary object of my invention is to provide improved hydraulicmeans for lifting the carriage at opposite sides thereof so as toprevent binding of the carriage on the guide.

Another object is to provide hydraulic means for the above purpose inthe form of lift cables exerting uniform lifting force against oppositesides of the carriage.

Still another object is to provide hydraulic means for the abovepurposes which is adapted for installation on the tractor and attachmentto the carriage without appreciably increasing the cost of manufactureofthe tractor operated saw and which is safe, reliable and comparativelyinexpensive to manufacture and install.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter de scribed and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view partly broken awayand shown in section of thetractor saw equipped with my improved hydraulic lift mechanism;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view in front elevation partly insection of the hydraulic lift mechanism;

Figure 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary view in front elevation ofthe hydraulic lift mechanism;

Figure 4 is a view in horizontal section taken on the line 44 of Figure3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detailed fragmentary view in perspective of thehydraulic lift mechanism, partly broken away;

Figure 6 is an enlarged view in front elevation of the carriage andparts of the hydraulic lift mechanism thereon; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view in horizontal section takenthrough the carriage and guide and showing the carriage locking means.

Referring to the drawings by numerals on the tractor operated saw Withwhich my improvements are concerned, a horizontal frame 24 extends alongthe right hand side of the tractor 10 from the rear axle housing 16 towhich it is fastened by U-bolts 22 and also fastened at its front end bymeans, not shown, to the chassis frame of the tractor. A journaled powershaft 28 extends forwardly from the rear end of the frame 24 throughbearings 26 and a speed control box 27 on the frame and is driven by abelt and pulley drive 36 from the rear power take-off 18 of the tractorunder control of a clutch on the shaft 28 operated by a hand lever 34.

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The saw boom comprises a tubular shaft housing 106 extending forwardlyfrom the front end of the power shaft 28 and inclining forwardly andoutwardly at an oblique angle thereto and to the tractor with a rear endswivelly mounted by a hollow universal joint 40 on the frame, so thatsaw boom 105 is swingable laterally and rotatable axially to variablyposition for cutting operations a circular saw 118 the arbour 114 ofwhich is journaled in a gear box 108 on the front end of said housing106.

A saw drive shaft 110 extends through and is journaled in the shafthousing 106 with its front end operatively connected to the saw 118 andits rear end universally connected in the universal joint 40 to thepower shaft 28, all as disclosed in my aforesaid patent and for drivingof the saw 118 by said shaft 28 and swinging of said shaft 110 with saidboom. The annular carriage 50 (Fig. 2) encircles the boom 105 in uprightposition and crosswise thereof and is mounted for guided verticalmovement by a radial shoe 48 vertically slidable in a channel guide 42fixed in upright position on the frame 24 and curving in an arcconcentric to the axis of the universal joint 40 for vertical adjustmentin said guide 42 concentrically of the joint 40. The carriage 50inclines rearwardly so that it is disposed in a vertical plane at aright angle to the planes in which the boom 105 swings and together witha sectional retaining ring 88 bolted to one side thereof, as at 87,forms an annular guide for an annular carrier 84 rotatable therein torotate the boom 105 about its axis for tilting the saw 118 laterally. Amanually operable crank shaft 94 extends rearwardly from the carriage 50and is journaled in a bearing bracket 90 on said carriage andoperatively connected to said carrier 84 to rotate the same by meansdisclosed in my aforesaid Patent No. 2,575,696.

A cross-head 104 through which the boom 105 rotatably extends isslidably mounted on and between a pair of transverse guides 102 in thecarrier 84. A pair of brace arm-s 120 (Fig. I) extend rearwardly fromthe carrier 84 on opposite sides of and spaced from the boom 105 and areattached at rear ends thereof to brackets fixed on the boom 105. Anotherbrace arm 103 extends rearwardly from the carriage 50 and is pivoted, asat 107, on a bracket 109 on the frame 24.

A hydraulic cylinder 138 mounted on the boom 105 has a piston rod 140operating cables as at trained around pulleys, as at 136, andoperatively connected as shown in said Patent No. 2,575,696 to thecross-head 104 to slide the same and thereby swing the boom 105laterally in the carrier 84 to correspondingly swing the saw 118.Pressure is supplied to opposite ends of cylinder 138 by conduits 158,leading from a control valve 162 on the tractor 10 suitably communicatedwith a conventional pump and reservoir 164 on said tractor 10.

Collars 202 on the rear axle housing 16 of the tractor 10 on oppositesides of said tractor have suitably secured thereto the rear ends offorwardly extending tubular members 204 in the front ends of which therear ends of a skeleton U-shaped saw guard 208 are detachably bolted, asat 205, said guard straddling the saw 118. A

inverted channel form extending laterally from the support 300 and thetractor 10 to overlie the carriage 50. The cross-bar 302 is of zig-zagform longitudinally (Fig. 4) so that it is provided with front and rear,outboard .and inboard ends 304, 306 at a right angle to the support 300and substantially vertically aligned with opposite outboard and inboardsides 301, 303 (Fig. 6) of the carriage 50 while its intermediateportion 308 is substantially coplanar with said carriage i InvertedV-shaped braces 310 suitably fixed to and rising from the upper end ofthe support Still and riveted, as at 312, to opposite sides of thecross-bar3tl2 support said bar in horizontal position at a substantialdistance above the guide 42 and carriage 50.

A hydraulic cylinder 314 (Figs. 2, 4 and 5) in the rear of the support3% is vertically slidable on a cylindrical guide collar 3 16 fixed to anintermediate portion-of an upright guide rod 318 rising from the frame24 and extending through the ends 320 of said cylinder which areslidable on said rod 318. The upper end of rod 318 is fixed by a bolt322 between a pair of lugs 325 depending from the top of the cross-bar 332, whereas the lower end of said rod 318 is fixed by an arm 326 on thestandard 300.

The cylinder 314 forms a pressure responsive bodily movable operatingmeans for exerting, upon its downward stroke, pull on a pair of carriagelift cables 323, 330 (Fig. 4) for the outboard and inboard sides 391.,393 of carriage 5% arranged as now to be described.

A pair of horizontally aligned idler pulleys 332, 334 are carried by thecylinder 31.4 at opposite sides thereof in upstanding yokes, as at 336,pivoted, as at 338 (Fig. 2), on said cylinder. A cable wind-up reel 34rdextends transversely in the front end 394 of the cross-bar 392 and isjournaled in U-shaped bearing brackets 342 riveted, as at 344, toopposite sides of said bar 382. A cable wind-up reel 348 is iournaledtransversely in the rear end 3% of said bar 362 with an idler pulley356) on one end, said reel 348 being journaled in U-shaped bearingbrackets 352 riveted, as at 354, to opposite sides of the cross-bar3'92. Front and rear horizontal idler pulleys 356, 358 are journaled inhorizontal position in the intermediate portion 398 of said bar M2.

The cables 323, have upper ends fixed to and wound upon the reels 349,343 for winding up thereon and lower ends fixed, as at 329, 331, to thelower ends of upright arcuate grooved cable guides 36%), 362 on theoutboard and inboard sides of the carriage 50 and in grooves of whichsaid cables are'disposed.

A pair of reel operating cables 3:54, 366 have their upper ends attachedto eye bolts see, 379 in the crossbar 3&2 and are trained downwardly andupwardly around the idler pulleys 352, 334 to form loops 37 374 in whichsaid pulleys 332, 334 pull downwardly. The reel operating cable 364extends from its loop 372 over the idler pulley 350 and opposite sidesof the idler pulleys 3356, 358 and is wound upon and attached to thereel 34d to operate the same in one direction. The cable 366 extendsfrom its loop 374 upwardly to and is fixed to and wound around reel 348to operate the same in one direction.

Hydraulic flexible pressure lines 37%, 3'72 connect opposite ends of thecylinder 314- to a pressure control valve 374 (Fig. l) on the tractorllt'l communicating with the beforcmentioned pump and reservoir 164.

Means for locking the carriage in vertically adjusted positionscomprises a hand lever 376 (Fig. 7) fixed as at 378 on the shoe 48 andhaving a hand grip 33d pivoted thereto, as at 332, and operativelyconnected to a latch rod 386 guided in a lug 388 (Fig. 2) on said lever,and spring loaded, as at 3%, to enter a hole 392 in said shoe 48 whenregistered with one of a series of vertically spaced holes 394 in thechannel guide 42.

The beforementioned tubular members 264 extend across the top of thecrossbar 302 and are fixed thereto by eye bolts 396, 398 (Fig. l).

A diagonal brace rod 409 is provided for attachment in the coupling 210and connection by an eye bolt 492 on top of the cross-bar 302 to bracesaid cross-bar when the guard 208 is detached as occasion may require.

The operation of the hydraulic lift will be readily understood. Thecylinder 314 moves downwardly, responsive to pressure in its upper end,from an intermediate normal position. Such movement of the cylinder 314exerts pull on the reel operating cables 364, 366 to operate the reels34-0, 348 clockwise as viewed, for instance, in Figures 2, 3 and 5 towind up the carriage lift cables 323, 330 to lift the carriage 50 atboth sides. As will be obvious, when the cylinder moves upwardly inresponse to pressure in its lower end, the loops 372, 374 shorten andthe carriage 50 descends under the influence of gravity.

It is to be noted that because the carriage 50 is not in a plane of withrespect to the plane of the guide 42, the inboard side 303 of saidcarriage on traveling in the arc of the guide must be lifted higher thanthe outboard side 301. Hence, the reel 343 is larger in diameter thanthe reel 340. to compensate for this dilferential in vertical movementof opposite sides of the carriage.

Also, that the arc of the cable guides 36%, 362 is such that as thecarriage tilts laterally in moving in the arc of the guide 42 and itstwo sides move differentially, said guides act to maintain even tensionon the cables 328, 33% in any tilted position of said carriage.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In atractor operated rotary cutting tool, the combination with a toolcarrying boom alongside the tractor having a rear end pivoted on saidtractor for vertical swinging of the boom, a vertical arcuate guide onsaid tractor, and an annular carriage for said boom encircling the boomand slidably mounted in said guide to extend in a vertical planelaterally from the tractor, of hydraulic lift means for said carriagecomprising a pressure responsive cylinder mounted for vertical movementon the tractor, and cable and pulley means operative by downwardmovement of the cylinder to lift said carriage at diametrically oppositesides thereof.

2. The combination of claim 1, said means comprising an upright supporton said tractor having a cross-bar overlying said carriage, cable windup reels 011 said bar having cables fixed thereto andto opposite sidesof said carriage, and means operatively connecting said cylinder to saidreels.

'3. The combination of claim 1, and a vertical rod on said tractorhaving a cylindrical collar on which said cylinder is slidably mounted.

4. The combination of claim 2, said last means comprising reel operatingpull cables -to which said cylinder is connected.

5. The combination of claim 2, said carriage having arcuate groovedupright cable guides on opposite sides thereof, said cable wind-up meanscomprising a pair of lift cables connected to the lower ends of saidguides and working in the grooves of said guides.

6. The combination of claim 5, said last named means comprising cableloops, and idler pulleys on said cylinder working in said loops.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,530,779 Le Tourneau Mar. 24, 1925 2,411,623 Jaques Nov. 26, 19462,575,696 Way Nov. 20, 1951

